ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · fall · current · snap · wind · race · bass · hide

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. race — the arms race
  3. current — of water
  4. race — a contest
  5. snap — to click
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bark — to shout
  9. race — humankind
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. current — happening now
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fall — the season
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wind — moving air
  21. current — electric
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com